How much energy powers a good life? Less than you're using, says a new report

On March 10, there was rush hour traffic on the 405 freeway. According to the federal government, Americans contribute the most to global greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

How much energy does it take to live a good life? The answer is far less than the average American uses.

Researchers found that the magic number is 75 gigajoules a year. A gigajoule of energy is equal to eight gallons of gasoline.

According to the new research, Americans use four times as much energy as the average person.

Lead author and professor of Earth system science, Rob Jackson, said that it suggests that we could make a more equitable world by nudging energy use down in a bunch of hyper-consuming countries.

There is a link between more energy and better quality of life. According to the World Bank, 759 million people lived without electricity and 2.6 billion without clean cooking fuel in 2019. That is a huge human cost. According to the World Health Organization, four million people die each year from conditions caused by indoor air pollution from cooking fires. Modern economies need access to electricity to provide medical services.

The study measured when the benefits stopped. Scientists looked at nine benchmarks for a long, healthy life, based on the UN's sustainable development goals, which include access to electricity, air quality, food supply, Gini coefficient, happiness, infant mortality, life expectancy, prosperity, and Sanitation. The air quality peaked and began leveling off.

If it were shared equally, there would be enough energy to get everyone on the planet over that threshold. The amount of energy used for each person on the planet is based on current consumption.

Sarah Ladislaw, managing director of the U.S. program at the non-partisan organization, said that Americans are generally not as efficient with their energy use as they could be. She said that there is an enormous room for the U.S. to improve on this.

Transportation is a main driver of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions

Global energy needs are rising and there is no way to distribute them equally.

Jackson and Ladislaw both point to changes that can be made to reduce consumption.

Ladislaw said that the fastest and the most efficient thing you could do is conserve energy. She said that it would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and alleviate the energy security crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

Lawmakers can promote better energy efficiency standards for private businesses, encourage retrofitting buildings to reduce their consumption, and build or adapt transportation infrastructure that helps people drive less, said Ladislaw.

According to the International Energy Agency, changing home energy use behaviors could reduce residential energy demand in the US by up to 20%. Some examples include heating or cooling your house by zone, rather than setting it all to the same temperature, or using cold water to wash clothes and a clothesline to dry them.

According to the federal government, Americans contribute the most to global greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. It is one of the top two drivers of energy use by sector. The amount of air travel Americans do compared to other global citizens is one way to cut back on energy consumption.

It also means you are walking and biking more, using public transport and making less long trips.

Many approaches require a blend of the two to encourage people and businesses to invest in equipment that uses less energy over time. She thinks the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help reduce consumption, increase efficiency and access to renewable energy sources.

Many of these moves can face resistance at the local level.

We don't want a new bus rapid transit route or a piece of infrastructure in our area.